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EDWARDSVILLE — The Madison County Board believes the new high-speed rail line should have a regional hub in Alton.

The $25 million Alton Regional Multi-Modal Transportation Center will include a bus transfer hub, bike and pedestrian paths, a tourist welcome station and parking for 350 cards. The high-speed rail corridor planned to provide fast passenger service from Chicago to St. Louis will pass through Alton, and county officials would like to see it as a stop on the line.

The high speed trains will provide 110 mph service, planned to be in operation by 2017. It is hoped that making the Alton center a regional hub will leverage private and public investment for a “transit-oriented development” around the center, with increased flow of commuters.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is currently studying the alignments from Granite City to St. Louis across the river. The county wants to see Alton and St. Louis as the two regional stations in the metropolitan area, and has already committed millions to the construction project. Read more